Done my Duty
by Under The Bridge
Summary: HUGE HBP SPOILER! DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'VE FINISHED! A series of loosely connected oneshot things reflecting on what it means to do what's right over what's easy, all of which take place during HBP.
1. An Unbreakable Vow

Dumbledore was dead. He still could not believe the words as they floated through his brain, images of the old wizard's final moments, the look of momentary pain on his face as a brilliant flash of green had brought an end to his one hundred and fifty odd years. But oh, how he wished those could have been the only memories. The smell of blood in the air, the dark mark casting its light across the schoolyard, even the feeling of wood against his palm as the curse had struck, with Albus powerless to stop it.

He was a traitor, a filthy traitor for following orders, for obeying a foolish, dying man's last wishes. Dumbledore had always spoken of doing what was right over what was easy, but how could he have meant something like this? There was only one thought passing through his brain as he recalled in vivid detail every whisper, every syllable of the curse that had taken the life of his friend and mentor. _It should have been me._

It would have been so easy just to turn around, to fight back. He would have been dead within a minute, but Albus might have... So easy, so painless, and he would not be here now, with this child curled up and asleep in one of his chairs, contemplating the greatest atrocity he had ever committed.

Ah, yes, the boy. Even now, after all he had done, the boy was not yet a killer. Ever since the night one year ago that he had sat here and bound himself to the child's mother with a vow that only death could break, he had known that Dumbledore and he would be parted by the end of the year- one of the them would die, but he had been ready to take that burden. The blonde-haired child who now slept fretfully in a red armchair might never truly realize that the greatest wizard the world had ever known had give his life to protect him.

_And to protect me_ he thought, almost unwilling to admit it. With his dying breath, Albus had pleaded with Severus to obey his wishes, and the innocence of one traitorous half-blood and one seemingly insignificant child had been saved in the process. _You overestimate me, Albus _he thought, conscious of the liquid brimming in his own eyes and thankful that he was alone, save for the child.

Wiping would-be tears from his eyes, an action that he could not recall duplicating in at least ten years, he got to his feet, leaving behind the comfort of a familiar seat and walking purposefully to his bookshelf. Withdrawing a large encyclopedic volume from the shelf, he opened it to reveal not pages, but a hollow cavity, within which lay six short hairs from one of the most horrible women he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Disguising himself as the terrible woman he had been forced to teach under the year before would be unpleasant, at best, but he could not dare come within ten miles of Hogwarts as he was. He already had the polyjuice potion he would need, brewed and ready in case the Order required him to use it.

Removing two of the hairs, he took one look back at Draco, whose dreaming seemed to have become less restless. Still fighting back emotions that he knew he could not show, for fear of causing even further harm, Severus left to prepare for the funeral of the man he had killed.


	2. Last Wishes

Harry Potter had brought grave news, grave news indeed. There was no need to trouble the child with the nature of what he suspected such words would mean, and he had brushed it off as "nothing of great importance," then spent every waking hour working towards a cure for the inevitable.

But no cure could be found. The Unbreakable Vow was called unbreakable for a reason, and not once had the Vow of a full-grown wizard been broken without death. And so he had asked Severus to meet him, far from the school, to discuss the first misinformation Snape had given him since joining the Order.

The former Potions Master was on time to the second, swooping into the forest warily and looking about for a moment in the dim light before spotting Albus, leaning patiently against a tree with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You sent for me, Headmaster?" said Severus, looking at Albus. The headmaster nodded, and noticed that Snape was not quite confident enough to look him in the eye without endangering the cold, emotionless expression he now wore on his face.

"Harry Potter has informed me of a conversation you had with young Malfoy, Severus, one that you did not inform me of" Albus replied, no hint of accusation in his tone.

"Harry Potter would do well to learn to hold his tongue" snapped Severus, vicious hatred in his voice. But he could never lie well to Albus, even before the Order, and a hint of fear shone through his outburst.

Albus Dumbledore smiled patiently. "That aside, Severus, he informed me that you have made an Unbreakable Vow. Is this true?" he said, although he knew the answer already.

"Of course not" hissed Severus, "I would never do something so foolish, even in protection of the Order." His anger did an excellent job of covering his hesitation, but he could never lie well to Albus.

"So, then, you have taken a vow to end my life, should Draco fail" replied the Headmaster, bowing his head. Snape's sudden silence was enough to tell him that he had guessed correctly. "This complicates matters, Severus, and I must ask something very difficult of you."

"You need not ask, Headmaster, I was prepared to break my Vow the moment I made it" said Severus quickly and sincerely. Albus smiled faintly, moved as ever by the loyalty shown to him by those in the Order. _You overestimate me, Severus_ he thought to himself, raising his head again.

"Severus, that is not what I must ask you to do. When the time comes, I ask that you keep your Vow."

For a moment, no amount of acting skill could hide the dawning horror on Severus' face. "You can't..." he whispered, looking more like the terrified first-year he had once been than the confident Professor he had become. "Albus, you know I can't, I could never-"

"I am dying, Severus" interrupted Albus, stopping Severus before he could continue. He held up his injured arm, flexing charred fingers as best he could. "I am too old for this, the next attack Voldemort makes on me will be my last, and I will not let you, or Draco, fall with me."

"How could you ask me to do such a thing?" demanded Severus, raising his voice. For the most part, when he was angry, his voice would become quieter, and even Albus only rarely saw him furious enough to yell. "Have I not been loyal, done everything you asked of me for the Order? I have risked my _life_, my very _soul_ in the battle against the Dark Lord, how can you just stand there and take my sacrifices for granted, assume I will make another? I made my choice when I made my Vow. I can't do this anymore, Albus, not if-"

"If my request seems like something Voldemort would ask of you" said Albus, finishing Severus' sentence for him. Snape opened his mouth to object, but at a look from Dumbledore he closed it again- there was no use objecting, he could never lie well to Albus. "Severus, this is not an order, I would never order you to do something so terrible. This is my last wish, Severus, and I ask it of you as a friend. _Please, Severus_..."

Severus faltered; he had never heard Albus plead with anyone before, least of all him. Something inside him collapsed, and he felt himself wishing he could just curl up and hide from the world like he had as a child. Terrified and feeling very much alone, he spoke again. "I... I will do as you ask, Headmaster."

Albus Dumbledore smiled, for he knew those words meant more than any Unbreakable Vow.


	3. Poetic Interlude

_Normally, I hate to write in author's notes to my stories, but I felt the need to draw attention to my new C2 community, Done My Duty, named after this story. It's a haven for stories that, like this collection, feature a post-HBP Snape who has not really betrayed Dumbledore. If you have such a story yourself, or know of one, please leave a review telling me where I might find it, or drop me an AIM (my SN is Myracuulous)._

_And, with that, I leave you with this "chapter", a fan-poem. Kudos to all who recognize the form I'm using, despite my butchering of the medium and ff's attempted butchering of my poor formatting._

You watch the ceiling, shooting flies  
Does it help to clear your brain?  
Remember how your mentor dies?

You do your duty, tell no lies  
But you kill him, all the same  
You watch the ceiling, shooting flies.

You know his plan is brave and wise  
You know his plan will cause you pain  
You know how your mentor dies.

But as you think, you here the cries  
Of the others you have slain  
You watch the ceiling, shooting flies.

Outside your room, the battle cries  
Of children sound. No time for pain,  
It is time your mentor dies.

You swear, he'll be the last who dies  
No more murder, no more pain.  
You watch the ceiling, shooting flies,  
For when you meet, your mentor dies.


End file.
